President Donald Trump signed off from his accelerated address to the nation on Wednesday evening by quickly shouting Christmas greetings to America.
Trump, 79, stuck to his usual talking points in the 18-minute turbo rant that has been described as “manic.”
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess,” Trump began, shifting the blame for America’s current economic woes. The president read the prepared speech in a rapid—and occasionally angry—tone, barely stopping to take a breath.
That steely air continued when Trump finished his speech by crystal-balling that next year Americans will be “respected again like never before.”
Without pausing, or showing any hint of festive joy on his face, Trump swiftly uttered: “To each and every one of you, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. God bless you all.”
Trump was at least surrounded by tinsel and Christmas decorations in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House.
One possible reason for the speedy delivery, which never went off-script, was that TV network CBS had penciled in a strict 22-minute interruption to its three-hour season finale of Survivor for Trump to address the nation.
PBS News correspondent Lisa Desjardins posted on X, “If folks [are] wondering: I clocked that Trump speech at 140-150 words per minute (checking multiple points). That is normal speech for a generic speech by any person but 2x Trump’s reported State of Union speed.”
CNN Medical Analyst Jonathan Reiner simply posted, “The pace of this address is manic.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump’s express speech benefited from his recycling of familiar topics and phrases.
That included claiming that before he took over as president for a second term, America had “transgender for everybody” and that schools were filled with “sinister woke radicals,” before repeating his claims about the falling prices of everything from eggs to gas.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump’s niece Mary mocked the president for embracing the Christmas spirit by selling overpriced ornaments and MAGA merchandise on his website.
“Merry Christmas,” Mary Trump said, “Now that the Democrats are out of power and there is no longer a war on Christmas because we have a champion of the holiday. That’s right, Donald, who proudly says ‘Merry Christmas,’ never ‘Happy Holidays.’”
During a rally on the economy earlier this month, the billionaire also suggested Americans could cut back on Christmas spending.
“You know, you can give up certain products. Uh, you can give up pencils,” he said.
“They only need one or two. You know, they don’t need that many. But, uh, you always need steel. You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don’t need 37.”
